Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania, has confirmed that the NATO member states have reached a consensus and decided to drop the requirement for a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine on its way to accession to NATO.

"I can say that the Membership Action Plan will be removed, this is a great step forward. This will simplify Ukraine’s path to NATO," European Pravda correspondent cites Nausėda, who said this at a press conference on 10 July, the day before the NATO summit in Vilnius.

He stressed that a very clear signal is also needed concerning the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO when conditions allow.

"In connection with this we must go beyond the borders of the Bucharest summit, which only suggests an ‘open door’. Ukraine today needs very concrete signals concerning the fact that when circumstances allow, it will become a NATO member not only on paper, but in reality as well," Nausėda added.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remarked that the consultations concerning the final decision of the summit are ongoing.

"The consultations are ongoing, and there will be other meetings today. But I am sure that all Allies will reach a clear statement concerning Ukraine. The final decision is yet to be made," Stoltenberg stated.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said earlier on Monday that following a discussion, NATO member states had agreed to waive the MAP for Ukraine on its way to accession to NATO.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna added that the whole Eastern flank of NATO is in favour of inviting Ukraine to join the Alliance, as well as a number of Western European countries.

Stefanishyna also believes that NATO may invite Ukraine to join even while the war is on, and complete the process when circumstances allow.